After the Fiasco
by kurt-york
Summary: "I should've asked you to the dance." both pre/post ISAFW


They're aware of course, of "Creddie" and "Seddie". It's uncharted territory, unfamiliar, too blurry and tangled to delve into for Sam and Freddie.

With Carly and Freddie it's easy, she rejects him and he takes it (a video on constant replay). It's become a habit now for him to be jealous of guys that Carly like and for Carly to reject him whether he is, in reality, jealous or not.

Sam and Freddie don't talk about Sam and Freddie. They talks about iCarly, food, the weather, anything really, because they have grown close to the realm of true camaraderie (the kind that lasts). The topic of Sam and Freddie is terrifying for them because these are feelings that have long since been buried under the silt of time (but they sure as hell don't forget). There are too many unanswered questions ("_did you, you know, like it?_").

Luckily, they don't have to deal with the subject often, if at all, and it's left untouched in the back of their minds, collecting dust (Freddie saves Carly, Carly loves Freddie, and the answers to the unanswered questions are almost completely hidden).

Sam enters Webicon with her guard up. It's a precautionary measure to keep her safe.

The fans are hungry for the answers they want to hear. ("Carly and Freddie must be in love" "in this screen cap their shoulders are touching" "look at the way Carly looks at him"). When Sam looks closely, she realizes these fans might be onto something.

It all becomes too loud but Sam, she doesn't care, can't care. So, when Sam loses control of the situation, it is her inborn nature to put herself in control again.

"Yes it's true (no it's not), Carly and Freddie are deeply in love."

Riot.

Carly's eyes bore holes into her head and she waves both her and Freddie off.

Control feels good (feels _safe_). But then Carly's running out and Freddie rips her fucking fat shake out of her hand (what the hell?).

"Will you pull your head out of your fat shake and listen to me?"

He yells at her and she doesn't want to listen so instead, she stares pointedly at the pulsing vein in his neck, jumping uncomfortably as the volume of his voice rises higher and higher. Then Carly's back and they team up against her (just what she's always been afraid of).

She tries to fix it, says that Carly and Freddie aren't in love. ("Then it must be Sam and Freddie" "Sam and Freddie for the win!"). They raise their arms in protest (they're crashing into an uncharted, fragile, territory at full speed).

She tried (too bad she's better at breaking things).

It's been two days since the Webicon fan war disaster and he finds her sitting on the stairs of Bushwell Plaza, her elbows on her knees and her forehead in her hands, looking down at the dirt stained floor.

He sits down next to her and she doesn't look up, just says "I ruined it". She shakes her head (mad at herself, should've had more control Sam).

He doesn't contradict her, doesn't attempt to console her, just sits next to her.

"Man, I'm a bitch," she says, and her accompanying laugh is harsh and cold, "Missy should be  
Carly's best friend."

Freddie frowns, "No, that would suck because I gave up the cruise so she would leave." (_Damn it, she knows now_).

Sam freezes, stares at him for a while, without really looking _at_ him. He focuses on his shoes.

"You did that for me?"

He nods quietly. She's silent for a while, thinking (building up courage).

She says it finally, "Thanks Freddie, that means a lot."

He looks at her and she turns the corners of her mouth up into a half smile. Then they're quiet again (he's building up the courage this time).

"I should've asked you to the dance."

She looks at him, confused, "What?"

"The dance…you know, the one I went to with magic Malika?"

She nods because she remembers that night more than he knows (remembers softly swaying bodies, her two best friends so at ease, at the brink of falling in like, something (bitter)sweet that hit her right when her guard was down).

"Why?" she asks.

"Because," he becomes exasperated, searching for the right words to say, "because I didn't like Malika and you didn't have a date and…" he falters.

She laughs, sardonic, "Right, well, you had fun dancing with Carly and that sure as hell wouldn't have happened if I was there."

His eyes widen, shocked, "You saw that? Why didn't you say something?"

"What was I supposed to say? Oh hey, Carly and Freddie, let me just ruin the moment you're having right now by jumping in and being obnoxious and rude. Right, thanks Freddie, for assuming I'd do something like that."

He tries to redeem himself but she's had enough.

"All right, you know what; I'm done here…how about we forget about this conversation?"

Freddie watches her leave (_always running away_) and it's an all too familiar feeling that he's feeling and he needs to _tell her_ now, before it's too late.

He gets up and calls after her, "Sam, wait!"

Her shoulders tense and she stops halfway down the stairs (she was half hoping and half dreading that this would happen). He catches up to her and she turns around, walls up.

He glances down at her hand, hanging uselessly at her side and he grabs it, tangling their fingers together.

"I think," he starts, "I think I would like to try this out."

She wants to ask what but the question is pointless because she already knows the answer, has known the answer all along.

"Don't you think we would just fail? We'd be irrational and crazy and tragic and-"

Freddie stops her, breathes "beautiful" and before her heart even has time to catch in her throat he kisses her.

"You know," Freddie says later, "Seddie always had more of a ring to it."

She punches him.

But when she grabs his hand wordlessly as they walk to the Groovy Smoothie together, her fingers slipping through his, he can't help but to think she agrees.


End file.
